I live in the Chicagoland area and just had 13 new DH Simonton 5500’s installed in my 2-story home last week. We were replacing 15 year old cheap contractor grade double pane windows. I went with the double pane, super-spacer, argon, etc. It was fairly cold last week (below zero at times) and was very impressed on how much warmer they kept the upstairs. The inside windows were still cool to the touch, but I expected this with double panes.

My biggest disappointment with the Simonton windows is their lack of quality control. I have two windows that have super-spacer debris between the panes and one window that looks like they ground too much out of the “shadow weld” leaving a hole. I’m confident that Simonton will take care of these problems but part of me wonders if the cosmetic issues could be a sign of larger quality control issues. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Because of the cosmetic issues I cleaned every window, inside and out, looking for defects. I am very pleased to say the tilt-in sashes are awesome and I can now clean all of my windows in about 2 hours!

Thanks to everyone on this board for their insight and sharing experiences! It really helped me make my decision.

I live in northwest suburban Chicago too and am looking for contractors who deal in Simonton. Is there a quick way to do a search this way, either on this site or by Googling? I have been frustrated in both efforts so far.

I live in northwest suburban Chicago too and am looking for contractors who deal in Simonton. Is there a quick way to do a search this way, either on this site or by Googling? I have been frustrated in both efforts so far.

You could just hit the "request a quote" button for Windows4U one of the pro posters on this site. I have no doubt you would be very satisfied with him.

I've done a ton of non-metal spacers over the last few years (Super Spacer and TPS). What I've found is that way too many IG's have some type of black debris trapped between them. I'd guess that about 1 out of every 15-20. Most consumers would never really inspect them the way that I do, but that number is not acceptable. It's still the way to go as far as I'm concerned, but what the heck is going on with America's work force and management?

I have been looking at the Simonton 5500 and am trying to figure what the ideal glass package is for DH double and triple pane windows with grids in the Boston area. As for spacers, am I correct in going with super spacers in double pane and Intercept for triple pane? I get lost when it comes to which glass is best and are all the glass options available in double strength glass?

The two glass packages I would recommend are listed below. If you go triple glazed I would use their triple pane package w/ argon gas due to the excessive cost of krypton, it’s not worth the extra money to get to U factor of .20. Simonton only uses Super Spacer w/ their triple pane glass.

WOW had mentioned grid alignment issues with Super Spacer. I have seen it but I have found it to be rare and Simonton will replace the sash if there is a problem.

I thought SuperSpacer was and option with regular double pane. I was told special shapes only come with superspacer so planned on having superspacer for the rest of the windows as well - for uniformity of appearance.

Just a data point. I was able to find Simonton windows for a bit less than you quoted, but I also had a ton of additional work done so I'm sure helped my contractor be more aggressive. Speaking from a homeowner's perspective, now is an AWESOME time to do home improvement projects. Contractors were MUCH more responsive and prices are very aggressive. Just remember to not let price be your only guide make sure to check references and go out and look at the contractors other work in your area.

I too am from the Boston area and looking to make some energy improvements. As for windows, it seems the best in our area is the Simonton. Now I have to find a good enough contractor to guarantee their installation.

Have you had any luck with a contractor and quotes? Can you please let me know how your install goes?